New Oil and Gas Discovery in East Kalimantan Offers Hope to Reduce Energy Imports

A reserve of 11.64 billion cubic feet of natural gas and around 1 million barrels of oil has been discovered in Samboja, East Kalimantan, opening opportunities to increase domestic energy production.

The Head of SKK Migas, Djoko Siswanto, revealed that the oil and gas reserves are spread across 13 new wells.

PT Pertamina Hulu Sanga Sanga (PHSS) is planned to drill the 13th oil and gas well.

Currently, one well coded MUT-346 OS HZ is being developed with a production rate of 7.3 million cubic feet of gas per day.

The projected gas reserve in that well reaches 3.6 billion cubic feet, with 1 million cubic feet of gas equivalent to 1,000 MMBTU.

SKK Migas will soon explore the 13 wells as much as possible.

“Coincidentally, it will be carried out soon, namely next month we start drilling,” said Siswanto.

“Currently, oil and natural gas are very much needed by the public. Searching for oil abroad is not easy, and even if available, the price is expensive. This is very strategic,” he stated.

The entry of oil from Russia will ensure national energy resilience.

“For me, the most important thing is that all our stocks are available. And for (crude) Russia, it will enter soon,” said Bahlil on Saturday (2/5/2026).

However, Bahlil did not provide further details on the volume of Russian crude oil imports that will soon enter Indonesia or the refineries that will process the crude domestically.

“In such conditions, the country must ensure the availability of all types of fuel. That is far more important,” he said.

In addition to crude oil, the government is also opening opportunities for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports from Russia. However, according to Bahlil, the plan is still in the discussion stage.